Hyacinth
by BookyJuliet
Summary: "There are no Youkai left in my time you know, I never thought about it until Shippou asked. But I think it was their inability to adapt that led them to extinction. There's so much bad blood between the species. Humans fear the Youkai for what they've done time out of memory, they don't understand them, so they hate them. Humans will always fear what they don't understand."


**Title: **Hyacinth  
**Author: **BookyJuliet  
**Prompt: **Seasons Challenge - Spring  
**Genre: **General  
**AU/CU: **Canon  
**Rating: **K+ to be safe  
**Warnings: **None that I can think of.  
**Word Count: **3,387  
**A/N: **This is in response to the Seasons Challenge by forthrightly in the Dokuga on-going challenges forum. This is NOT a continuation of _Wintertide _it is set quite a few years after that initial meeting. It is referenced in the chapter. But this is more of a sequel than an addition. I don't own the characters mentioned, I'm but a writer doing a labor of love. Happy readings! Reviews are always loved (:  
**Summary: **"There are no Youkai left in my time you know," she added. "I never thought about it until Shippou asked. But I think it was their inability to adapt that led them to extinction. There's so much bad blood between the species. Humans fear the Youkai for what they've done time out of memory, they don't understand them, so they hate them. Humans will always fear what they don't understand."

**Hyacinth {Spring}**

Kagome sat the last box on the stack with a heavy sigh. Looking around her new apartment she couldn't help but to smile to herself. This was her new start. With her job in the past done, and the final wish made, there was nothing left to do but to pick up what was left of herself and carry on. Inuyasha was happy; and though it wasn't with her, she couldn't find it in herself to be upset about it. For so long she'd known things were going this way. For so long she'd known that he was made for someone that wasn't quite her. He was a son of the West, the setting sun marked by the moon.

Kikyo was like midnight. And he belonged in her world; he was the moon that gave her purpose and gave her peace. They might have shared a soul for a while, but that didn't make them the same.

Brushing the hair out of her face she made her way to the kitchen, doing her best to avoid the boxes that were piled up. This was her first step of moving forward with her life, and disconnecting from the past. She'd managed to get into college, it hadn't been easy and she'd had tutors in ever subject but after working her butt off for months she'd been accepted. After getting a part-time job, and the money her dad had left in a savings account for her, she'd bought her one bedroom apartment just off campus and didn't plan to look back.

Digging out a cup she filled it with water, leaning against the counter her eyes wandering the small kitchen. This was her new home. This was her new life. She wasn't a Miko, or a shard detector, or anyone's woman. Here, she was just 'Kagome' the girl who was sick a lot during high school. No one knew she was trained in archery. They didn't suspect she had actual battle scars littering her flesh. It was impossible to tell that she had once shared a soul with a priestess who'd died 500 years ago or that she'd experienced the history everyone else simply learned about, first hand.

It was strange to look at herself in the mirror and realize that everything she was, everything she had become was a secret. Gone was the girl of sixteen who'd fallen through the well to the past. The slightly awkward and inexperienced teenaged girl who was incapable of caring for herself. In her place stood the woman she'd grown into. Strong and independent she no longer relied on anyone to keep her safe. Putting the cup down she smiled shaking her head.

It was time for a change.

Grabbing her purse and an umbrella she headed out the door with a grin. For the first time in years, she was free...

xXxXxXx

Chocolate eyes stared into the mirror, long tapered fingers splayed through damp hair watching it catch the light and fall back into place. On the floor were long tendrils of freshly cut hair, soft waves a striking contrast against the white tiled floor.

"What do you think?" The cheerful female was busy sweeping hair from the floor, cleaning up her station and putting things back in order. Soon enough she would have another customer. "It's perfect," Kagome breathed watching herself in the mirror. With the new pixie cut, she almost couldn't recognize herself. The bangs that splayed across her forehead gave her an edgy appearance. No longer having to fight with the mass of dark tresses her warm brown eyes popped against the soft porcelain of her skin.

Paying for the job more than well done, she left the saloon beaming with the joy of another new beginning. She had never in her life had short hair, but suddenly the idea of not having to fight with her hair had her wondering why she'd never done it before.

XxxXxXx

"By Ayumu! Don't work too hard alright?" Kagome waved at her newest friend and co-worker. Her purse was slung over one shoulder, school books weighing heavily in her arms. "Thanks, Kagome, you too!"

She'd been in college about a month, the beginning of spring signaling the start of the true rainy season. She'd been home only once to see her family since she'd moved. Avoiding the well, and her past seemed the only way to truly be content in her life and so far she was doing a great job of fitting into the world she was born into. She walked to her car, the damp night air clinging to her form as she shifted the books to one arm, fumbling for the keys. On her feet, the heels she wore clacked against the cement, echoing through the dark parking lot.

Setting her books down on the hood of her car, she pull her purse around, dipping her head to try and see its contents as her fingers blindly grouped for the keys she knew were hidden within.

"You are a hard human to find, Miko."

The voice was soft and low, resonating through the empty parking lot, and through her mind. It was a voice she heard in her dreams. It reminded her of the past. Of silver frosted trees at night, the soft hush of fresh snowfall and the biting breezes of a winter just out of reach. Her head shot up in the direction of the voice, freezing when they fell on the familiar features.

He was still towering over her in height, even in heels, his long silken hair was pulled into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck and she wanted to cry at the injustice of something so beautiful being restrained. Free from his face were the marks she was accustomed to seeing, the violet, jagged stripes across his cheeks and the indigo crescent that usually adorned his forehead were all missing as she stared into molten gold eyes.

Shaking out of her stupor she flashed a nervous smile, "I wasn't aware anyone was looking," she admitted in awe. For a moment, a split second, she could see him as he was. Standing in all of his ethereal beauty, back-dropped by the forest at winter, his hair floating on the breeze, eyes piercing as moonlight reflected light, making them glow. Just as quickly as the spectral image appeared, it was gone, and he was approaching her with measured steps, his predatory gait still in tact.

"Five-hundred years, countless wars, famine, extinction, natural death, industrial revolution and the massacre of culture." His eyes remained locked on her, in the span of seconds she'd gone from freedom to hunted. "That is what I have faced since our last meeting, Miko. I have watched my people suffer and die. My home be deconstructed. I lost my status, my title, my land, and very nearly my life." He regarded her with an odd demeanor as he came to a stop just in-front of her.

"And yet, I live, all thanks to a single worthless human female." Though his face still held the cold, bored mask she was used to, his eyes danced. "How fortunate that a girl from the future should explain to me the workings of modern society. The Youkai as a race owe you our lives for the knowledge you gave me that day in the forest."

With wide eyes, Kagome leaned back against the car, her brain working over-time to remember what he was talking about. The past, always the past. The woods, the smell of smoke, the camp-fire, Kikyo, jealousy, inadequacy, rain..._the scent of rain..._

Feeling like she was suffocating she used the car to support her weight as everything she'd known to be true crashed down around her. With spots dancing in her vision she stared down the specter of the past, the flesh and blood ghost of her memories.

"Sesshomaru...?"

xX_A Spring 500 Years in the Past_Xx

The rain drifted through the air hitting the ground with a soft thud, the steady bass line of some unwritten melody. Kagome felt herself smiling as she wandered through the trees. The hush of bad weather left the area with an air of soft serenity as she stooped to pick up the twigs that littered the ground. She was on firewood duty, not that she minded, a chance to see the vibrant green of the forest against the gray sky was more than enough incentive to coax her out of the dry ring of trees that protected their camp from the precipitation.

Already the flowers of the forest were starting to bloom the scent of fresh rain and wild blossoms teasing her senses as she picked her way through the forest. If there was one thing she loved about the spring time above all else, it would be the rain. It was probably a cliché answer, to love the rain. But something about it was so soothing and refreshing to her after such a long hard winter. _Winter..._Her mind flashed back to silky silver tresses lifted by the breeze and molten gold eyes. _I wonder if Sesshomaru likes the rain._ She smiled at the thought stopping to put the wood in her backpack to make it easier to carry.

She hadn't seen the Lord of the West since that night at the beginning of winter. All through the season her mind had floated back to the night, remembering it like a dream. Even now she could still faintly hear the soothing low tones of his voice, the comfortable silence. He had read her like an open book. She wanted to say it was his youkai. The power of his blood that allowed him to read her emotions, but a nagging in the back of her mind wouldn't let her be content with the answer.

Resting her pack on a thick root that protruded from the ground, Kagome stretched her back, still grinning from ear to ear as she looked around at the small pockets of flowers that ranged from reds to whites mixed with every color in-between. Leaning in to examine them she smiled, plucking a soft orange blossom from the ground. It smelled sweet, the petals like soft powder against her fingertips. The color reminded her of Rin, the color of her yukata matched the shade of flower almost perfectly. Sticking it behind her ear she sighed softly to herself.

"I should get back soon..." Her smiled faltered a little as she remembered the reason she was so keen to escape in the first place. Kikyo. The woman from whom she was reincarnated. The ghost. The walking corpse. The woman _he _loved. She felt the pain cross her features.

If Inuyasha had loved anyone else, maybe the disappointment wouldn't have been so hard to carry. If he had fallen for one of the village girls that lived under Keade's care, or one of the half daemon's they had encountered in their travels it would have made a world of difference. Instead, he loved the original copy. The first of her soul. Kikyo. The priestess who's powers she had copied, and who's skills she made a mockery of. The cold woman who regarded her with an air of superiority, and who thought her incompetent.

It was situations like these ones that filled her with unease. Sango had grown to enjoy the other female on some level. And Miroku enjoyed the conversations he could carry with her about holy powers and tradition. Shippo was the only one of the bunch besides herself that seemed weary of the dead Miko, but even he had learned to like something about her. In her insecurity, and the sting of her first love being ignored and tossed aside, she couldn't even stomach looking at her let alone enjoying her company.

_Do you still think I belong, Sesshomaru? Me. The stupid human threatened by the ghost of the past. The living fearing the dead. A beating heart that lost to the silence of the grave. What would you tell me to do in this situation? _She laughed softly at her own thoughts. _I know. He's say 'focus on what is, Miko.' He makes it sound so easy._

It dawned on her, suddenly and without her permission, that she missed him, Sesshomaru. It was unusual that she should miss someone she knew so little about. But the longer she thought about it, the more apparent it became. She missed him. She wondered if he was alright. And she wondered about Jaken and Rin, and if they were still following behind him, faithful as ever, and if Rin was as happy about the falling rain as she was.

"Ue o muite arukou, namida ga kobore naiyouni. Nakinagara aruku, hitoribotchi no yoru." Se watched the rain fall, watched it hit the earth and disappear as she softly sang to fill the silence and to still her thoughts. Soon, she would grab the bag and return to the camp. Soon, she would force herself to mile as she sat across from Kikyo, attempting to ignore the soft, loving smiles Inuyasha sent her. She would eat dinner, though she felt sick, and she would go to bed, clutching the shards of the jewel so tightly in her hand that in the morning her hand would ache with the effort. And tomorrow, she would do it all over again.

"You're screeching Miko. It hurts my ears."

Kagome blinked, thinking her thoughts were really getting away from her. It was the flash of a white haori and the familiar power weighing down around her shoulders that convinced her she wasn't just crazy. "What would you know about singing!" She exclaimed, moving from her place to stand. She stared him down defiantly before bowing.

"You insult me before and still make a formal display of greeting?" His perfectly manicured brow rose, the corner of his lip twitching so discretely she wasn't actually sure she'd seen it. "You're insolence knows no bounds, Miko. And your manners haven't improved since last we met either." With his cool exterior he sat next to her bag staring out at the forest as she had been doing just moment before.

"I guess my manners are a little under-par aren't they?" She agreed with a laugh moving her bag to sit next to him, picking a spot that was slightly lower, and almost a good foot away. It wouldn't do to have him killer for taking liberties with his person without permission. It was daring enough just to sit next to him in the first place. If Jaken were around she was positive the toad would be screeching at the top of his lounges the things she had done wrong since he'd made his presence known. "Where I'm from they don't teach the proper educate for meeting a powerful demon lord in the middle of the woods."

Whatever response he'd been expecting that wasn't it. And his head tilted slightly a he took in her words. "What do they teach you then Miko, if not the skills to keep you breathing?"

"Reading, writing, mathematics, history, government, computer literacy, foreign languages and sports. Their are some arts programs, drama, voice, sculpting and pottery. Some painting." She answered without missing a beat fingertips pushing the damp hair from her forehead. "But proper manners are taught at home, and demon lords aren't exactly an occurrence. The tea ceremony is considered an 'old fashioned' practice where I come from. Its almost a novelty."

Looking at him she puffed out her cheeks. "I don't think I was supposed to tell you any of that...you'll keep my secret, eh, Sesshomaru?"

He seemed to consider her request, weighing it in his mind, fully. Searching for the pros and cons of keeping all of her words a secret. Finally after a long pause, he nodded. "If you do me a favor in return." Somehow she expected that. Nodding she shifted on the root, smoothing her kimono. "You speak another language, other than Japanese?"

Kagome nodded her head. "I speak English and a small amount of Korean, as well as Mandarin." He seemed lost in thought for a moment before he nodded, accepting this and continued. "Is your family important where you are from? You seem to be well educated." She thought over her answer trying to find a way to explain to him that the world he knew didn't exist in her own time-line. Hesitantly she she started to formulate her response.

"In my time...the Japanese hierarchy is a bit different. We still have an Emperor but he's really just a symbol of the state. Of unity of the Japanese people, he's pretty limited to ceremonial duties. He acts as the head of state, but the man with all of the real power is the Prime Minister." Looking at him she smiled apologetically. "I have a book on it if you'd like to borrow it sometime. I think you'd understand it better that way. Grabbing her bag she opened the pocket protected from the wet branches pulling out her government book. "Just make sure if you can't give it back you burn it. If they find this in five-hundred years there will be a lot of confusion."

Hesitantly he took the book from her fingers opening she watched his eyes scan the pages. "To answer your question, no. My family isn't important. I live with my mother, Grandfather and little brother, Souta. My family owns the shrine that was built to protect the God Tree. In my time, the forest is gone, and Keade's village. There is a large town instead, that I live in."

A far-away smile graced her features as she thought about her home.

"There are no Youkai left in my time you know," she added. "I never thought about it until Shippou asked. But I think it was their inability to adapt that led them to extenction. There's so much bad blood between the species. Humans fear the Youkai for what they've done time out of memory, they don't understand them, so they hate them. Humans will always fear what they don't understand." Letting a hush fall around them for a time she tucked a strand of damp hair behind her ear.

"It's not all the fault of humanity though. Youkai see us as inferior. We aren't as strong, we don't live the long lives they do, and we are much easier to kill. But I don't think a Demon has ever stopped to think about what mortality means."

"For us, by the time we reach maturity, life is already a third over. We have a few good years left to call our prime before we start to get old, and soon after we die. Our lives pass in the blink of an eye to your kind. But do you know what it means?" Her head tilted in his direction as she stood, cleaning the debris from her pants. "The next time we meet, I hope you've consider it, Sesshamru-sama." Bowing in his direction she grabbed her pack and started her way back to camp, a renewed sense of stability in her mind.

"Miko, do you not consider me a Youkai?" She paused, a smile teasing her lips as she looked at him over her shoulder.

"I do not."

She could hear the growl from where she was, but the smile didn't falter. "I consider you above the them. You're smart, Sesshomaru. And though you hide it, you have found compassion." Looking up at the sky, watching the rain fall, she couldn't help but to feel lighter somehow. "If all Youkai could learn what you have, thanks to Rin, and Jaken than maybe your race would survive after all." Giving a final wave, she continued on her way, picking through the fallen branches and brush.

"Compassion?" _Perhaps this Miko isn't as worthless as originally imagined..._Standing silently, the Demon Lord of the West disappeared on the wind back to his own camp and pack.

Yet again, in a ring, silently and always watching the trees had another odd encounter between the Miko of the future and the Lord of the West. And as always, it was bound to secrecy.


End file.
